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| EarthLink Basic High-Speed DSL |
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Editors' rating: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8.1 9 10 best
The good: Solid spam and pop-up ad suppression; price includes troubleshooting diagnostics, 10MB of Web space, and eight e-mail addresses; supports Macs; 30-day money-back guarantee. The bad: Outdated and incomplete manual; sometimes confusing setup; requires one-year commitment; $149.95 early termination fee. |
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Review summary |  |
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EarthLink DSL delivers a great bargain and solid service but lacks the smooth setup and support of Covad's consumer DSL service.
By Robert Luhn, June 9, 2003
DSL is a commodity, with fairly similar prices (about $49 per month) and speeds (1.5Mbps/128Kbps residential service) no matter which service you use. Covad distinguishes itself with lean but hassle-free setup and operations, while SBC Yahoo's DSL offers lots of goodies and a little chaos. EarthLink DSL sits somewhere in between, making it a solid choice if you can't get Covad in your area. Along with a great price for basic 1.5Mbps/128Kbps service ($29.95 for the first six months, $49.95 thereafter), you get built-in spam and pop-up ad squashing, 10MB of Web space, eight e-mail accounts, and 20 hours of dial-up access per month, all wrapped in EarthLink's cozy Web-based interface. It's an appealing package, marred only by EarthLink's out-of-date documentation, some setup quirks, and uneven tech support.
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Quick facts
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| Software requirements and specs: | |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Macintosh OS 8 or higher |
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| RAM | 16MB for Windows 95; 32 to 64 MB recommended for other operating systems |
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| Processor Speed | 166 MHz or better |
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| Available Hard Drive Space | 44MB |
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| CD-ROM drive | Required |
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| Hardware | USB Port or Ethernet NIC Card |
Robert Luhn is a former executive editor for CNET.com and a frequent contributor to CNET Internet Services.Have a question for him? We'll pass it on!
